1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to oral and dental hygiene preparations which contain a combination of water-soluble fluorine compounds and phosvitin for protection against demineralization of the enamel.
2. Statement of Related Art
Oral and dental hygiene preparations are products which are used to clean and take care of the mouth, teeth and throat. In addition to the elimination of halitosis and the removal of coatings from the teeth, the function of oral and dental hygiene preparations is to prevent tooth disease, such as caries.
One known strategy is to protect the enamel against, or make it more resistant to, attack. For example, it is known that a thin protein film (the so-called pellicle) on the teeth formed from the constituents of the saliva protects the teeth against excessive mineral losses. It is also known that this protein film consists of phosphoproteins which bear phosphoric acid groups attached to serine and which adhere particularly firmly to the enamel surface. In addition, it is known (W082/03008) that phosphoproteins can be added to dental care preparations to reduce the dissolution of hydroxyapatite, the main constituent of dental enamel.
It has also long been standard practice to add fluorine in the form of water-soluble fluorides or monofluorophosphates to oral and dental hygiene preparations in order to increase the resistance of the enamel to attack by caries.